Date-night with the fiancé quickly went from movie-night to urge to cook a delicious ratatouille! I mean, who doesn’t love a great Disney movie with good company and good food. We gathered up the supplies, made a few tweaks to make sure it was a keto-friendly ratatouille, and the magic we cooked up is magnificent!  The version from the movie with the pretty little slices of vegetables is technically called Confit Byaldi, and it really gives the dish some class and a little fun. Not the best at slicing or want to get this dish made quickly? Cube the veggies and cook in the casserole in a stew form rather than slicing. It might not be as pretty but it tastes just as good!

It is easy to get caught up in your life and in the negativity around you, and to forget how great you’ve got it. Even though sometimes it may not seem like it, there is still at least one great thing in your life that makes you happy. It can be as simple as the pretty latte art you were given at the cafe, or as meaningful as a surprise visit from your mom, or as seemingly-random as the comfort of your favourite leggings. Whatever it is, if it makes you happy, you need to remind yourself of it. That is my 365 project for 2017. Every day, for the entire year, no matter what, I will write about something that makes me happy: 365 DAYS OF HAPPY. I invite you to join me in creating the happiest year for yourself! #sdemontigny365daysofhappy2017

THIS POST IS UPDATED MONTHLY

This gluten-free Vanilla Almond Mousse is a great keto-friendly dessert or breakfast filled with good fiber, a large amount a healthy fats for such a small serving, and it fills you right up! Go ahead and enjoy it for breakfast too. Goes great with pumpkin seeds as garnish for added fatty & fibrous protein and some crunch to the smooth mousse. For an evening treat, I top it off with a few raspberries. Did I mention it took me under 10 minutes to make it!? And it only took that long because I stopped to take pictures!

Every family has traditions, whether they be holiday-related or not. One of the most interesting things in a new relationship is finding a way to combine those traditions together, and create new ones of your own. Since our families live so far apart, we find ourselves hopping back and forth between them, leaving very little time for ourselves and to come up with elaborate new traditions. We started small, and for our first Christmas together, we decided that instead of spending a ton of money on potentially useless expensive gifts for each other, that we would put the money towards saving up for a down payment on our future home, and buy each other an ornament for our Christmas tree instead. Christmas 2016 was no different!

I went out for lunch for my networking group recently to the Green Papaya Thai Restaurant, and while the buffet was a hard-no for me because of the abundance of peanut sauce (anaphylactic allergy), rice and potatoes, I found myself in heaven eating their Tom Kha soup. It was delicious! I know there was more sugar in it than I’d like to admit, so I can’t go back for more, and decided to try to make it at home. My very own keto-friendly version of the hot & sour Thai tom kha mushroom coconut soup. It is a little different, but equally delectable! I made it for my family for our Christmas lunch and it was a hit!

Learning how to run a business is no easy task. Figuring out how to price for profit is a challenge in itself. The first step is realizing that profit is not a dirty word. Every business, small shops, corporations, and even not-for-profit companies need to do the exact same calculations to know what it costs them to run their company, and find that magic number where the surplus becomes profit. Profit simply means that all your expenses have been paid, your employees’ salaries have been covered (including yourself!), and you have a surplus which is typically reinvested into the business.  For example, if your daily-use business equipment has a 5 year suggested lifetime, you need to account for the purchase of new equipment in 5 years into your profit margin (technically accounted for as an annual expense, but requires an up-front purchase so you need to have the funds set aside–more on this later).  And we all know there are surprises in business, good and bad, so we need to be prepared. Let’s learn how to price for profit!

During a well-earned vacation, I was able to complete a DIY project that has been on my to-do list for quite a while. I’ve got a few of these in the studio already, and plan to make some more for props and for myself (who doesn’t love a big warm comfy vintage blanket!).

Those of you who know me personally are likely aware of my struggles for the last few years with fluctuating weight. Going from starvingly sick student, to depressingly-eating-everything-fat, and going from one to the other without much of a transition. But hey, “that’s how it is through university”, “that’s normal”, they said. No. It is not. Bouncing back and forth from plus-size to skin&bones is NOT healthy. It’s time it stops.

Whoever said vegans have it rough has obviously never had this cauliflower coconut ginger turmeric stew! Between the creaminess from the coconut milk, the spicy kick from the jalapeno, and the yumminess of all the Indian spices, this dish is absolutely swoon-worthy!

Since moving into my new & bigger studio, I am happy to have a lot more space to work with. In between photoshoots, editing marathons, and home-cooked meals, I’ve occasionally got time to do a quick task or two from my current DIY projects to keep my creative mind rolling.  Since the move to the larger space, I felt that my studio lacked in the decor department. Of course, there are tons of gorgeous art pieces on the walls, and a few heirloom albums and samples on the tables, but I really wanted to make the studio seem a little more homey and pretty. A lace doily with a mason jar filled with flowers seemed just right!